Aftermath
by rko-luver
Summary: What happens once Shilo gets home from the opera, and gets a visit from a certain drug dealer Grilo rating for later chapters
1. Chapter 1

Graverobber's bagged eyes widened as he watched the halo-tron. _Poor kid_ he thought to himself. True he had no great connection with Shilo, he had no great connections with any human being, but he couldn't help but feel bad for the girl, he was still human after-all. He remembered seeing her in the graveyard earlier that very night, her pale skin glittering in the moonlight, her dark hair and clothes making her blend into the night. He couldn't help but thinking as he extracted the zydrate from the newest corpse, that she was beautiful, despite how frail she was, maybe because of it. He also remembered later in the night, watching her fear and awkwardness amongst the mass of zydrate addicts vying for his attention and his loot.

He watched the girl's face as she heard the truths that her father had hidden from her, her fake sickness, her mother's death, everything. Seeing her heart break like that made even the jaded drug dealer grow angrier with the wretched world. He sighed, knowing there was nothing really he could do, and shoved his hands in the pocket of his faithful coat and shuffled down the dark alley. Most of the zydrate addicts were still high from his last visit so nearly no one bothered the infamous zydrate carrier. He walked past several dumpsters that were his various resting places, deciding to do some more work before he tried to get any sleep, his stores were diminishing, and most of the Genecops were probably still at the opera. He vaulted the small fence guarding the mass of graves that had become his home and livelihood.

He strolled through the graves, knowing his way around even in the pitch black night. Stopping off at the section of the graveyard he had been working in earlier, the very place where he first saw her. He shook the poor girl from his mind and began his work. He shoved his needle and syringe into the nasal passages of the deceased woman. You could tell from looking at her decaying for that at one point she had been beautiful, but her half-heartedly covered surgical scars and obvious attempts of perfection made her just like the rest of the drones in his eyes. He hated the idea of women trying to make themselves perfect, he had always believe d that the flaws in people were what made them beautiful, not how pretty a surGen could make them. He shrugged and finished extracting the brilliant blue substance into his vial and pocketing it. He shoved the girl back into her concrete grave and shoved the lid back on. He started walking over to the next grave when he heard the sound of an approaching car. He jumped behind a close-by headstone, cursing himself for not having heard it earlier.

He watched the black limousine pull up in front of one of the grander mausoleums. He watched with curiosity, what was a car like that doing in a graveyard? It stopped briefly to let someone out then drove away quickly. His eyes widened when he saw who it was, Shilo. He could see the blood covering her back and matting in her hair. She walked shakily towards the steps of the mausoleum, and he stood. Part of him wanted to go say something to him, but, what do you say to someone who just found out her whole life was a lie? She made it up the first step, but on the second she misjudged the clearance and fell onto the stone. She did not even try to get up, she merely lay there, and he noticed that her body was shaking, wracked with savage sobs. He strode toward her, and kneeled next to her. Awkwardly he poked out a hand and rested a hand of her shoulder, "kid?"

She turned her pale face to him; her black eyeliner ran down her face in pale watery streaks. Her eyes cried out to him with such pain that he felt his jaded heart break for the poor girl. "W-What do you want?" She choked out through her strangled sobs; he saw a hint of fear in her eyes and sighed.

"I'm not gonna hurt you kid, don't worry, now here, let me help you." If she wanted to protest she either didn't show it or was too weak to disagree with him. He gently grabbed her upper arms and pulled her to her shaky feet. She leaned on him and he walked with her up the last of the steps and into the mausoleum. He felt her body, how frail she felt in his strong arms. He could feel nearly all of her bones, and every muscle in her body was trembling. He walked her towards a staircase lined with torches, stopping at the bottom step, looking at her to ask if it was the way she wanted to go. She nodded and he gently helped her up the steps one by one, at the top of the stone stairs was a heavy wooden door which he kicked open with one of his booted feet.

On the other side of the door was a dusty Victorian parlour, it was beautiful, but everything about it felt dead. He couldn't help but be creeped out by the many holograms of her dead mother adorning every wall and flat surface there was. She pointed towards the stairs, "To my room, please." Her voice was hoarse and he led her up the stairs and into the room with the open door, judging by the medical equipment and such, it had to be hers. He looked around at the hundreds of cased insects, and the stuffed animals it was so…her. He smiled and lead her to her plastic-encased bed, and couldn't help but notice that her father had kept her like she did her insects and sighed. He helped her sit down on her bed and she threw off her wig, he hadn't before realized that she had no hair, but he guessed it must have been a side effect of the medicines her father had used on her.

She lied on her back and looked up at him, "thank you Graverobber…"

He smiled his Cheshire cat smile, "No problem kid, really."

"Shilo….my name's Shilo…"

"Alright, Shilo."

A small smile slid on her pale face and she rolled onto her side, curling into a small ball, he grabbed a blanket from the end of her bed and placed it over her before turning to take his leave. His heavy boots made the floor creak as he walked and as his hand reached the doorknob he heard her mouse-like voice "Please….don't leave me."

He turned to her, confused, no one had asked him to stay all his pathetic customers wanted from him was their Z and once they had that they didn't care about him, even the ones who paid through…other means. He walked back towards her bed and sat down on the edge beside her. "I just… I can't be alone right now, please….don't leave."

He smiled and slid off his boots and coat, a bed was a bed, and anything was better than another dumpster. He walked around to the other side of the bed and lied down, placing a hand on her face, "Don't worry, I won't go anywhere, now, you get some sleep."

She nodded, her eyes growing heavy, soon he could hear her long soft breaths and knew she was asleep, he followed not long after.


	2. Chapter 2

Graverobber groaned as he was jarred from his peaceful sleep by a noise, a constant high pitched whine. He grumbled under his breath about the stupid rats in his dumpster, they tended to fight amongst themselves leading to a ton of constant racket. He slid open one blue eye so he could find the stupid rodents and give them a good hard kick to make them shut up. He noticed quickly that he was not in a dumpster, but in a plush bed, surrounded by clear plastic. He rubbed his eyes and refocused, remembering the events of the day before, and knew here he was.

The whining was still there and he looked around to see what it was, that's when he saw Shilo, curled into a ball beside him, the sound was her whimpers. Her whole body was trembling and she had scratched her arms to the point of having them covered in deep bloody lines, staining the sheets under her. He leaned over and stroked her cheek "hey, hey kid, wake up, it's ok, you're ok."

He was worried about the small creature, and couldn't help wanting to protect her. He scooted closer to her, pulling her into his lap, she was so small, so scared, so fragile, he could feel her every bone. He heard her whimpering stop and felt her extend her small legs and opened her big doe-like eyes, and looked up at him. "Graverobber?" Her voice was hoarse and weak and trembled slightly as she spoke his name.

He nodded holding her small body tight in his arms, feeling her curl against his chest, "I'm here Kid, don't worry."

She smiled weakly up at him, "thank you…I was afraid I'd wake up alone…that you'd leave me." She blushed; seemingly embarrassed that she wanted him here with her. He smiled even when her world had been ripped apart she was so damn cute. She rested her head on his chest, and he felt her relax, she then noticed her arms. "Wh-what happened!?"

He stroked her back softly, "you did that while you slept, I'll fix you up in the morning, but you need some sleep, don't worry, I'll be here when you get up, I promise."

She smiled, her eyes sliding closed, "who would have thought that you would be so sweet?" She yawned and he felt her breathing slow, and knew that she was asleep.

"Not me Kid, certainly not me." He rested his head back against the headboard and sighed, not twenty-four hours and this little thing already had him wrapped around her finger, what was becoming of the infamous Graverobber? He mentally shrugged and closed his eyes, returning to his peaceful sleep.

When the sun streaming through the many windows woke Graverobber he poked open one eye. Shilo was still asleep, lying on top of him. He smiled and petted her softly; he saw that she was smiling. He grinned and felt his stomach grumble. "Damn!" he hissed, he wanted to get up and go down to the kitchen and grab something to eat, but he knew the second he slid her off of him and went to the kitchen she would wake up and probably freak out because she was alone. He couldn't take that risk, but also he hadn't eaten in a few days, and knew he needed something. He sighed, knowing there was only really one thing he could do. He gently slid one arms behind her shoulders and the other behind her knees, slowly picking her up, he turned and put his socked feet on the floor and gently stood. She groaned and shifted against him, curling into his body. He smiled and slowly walked down the stairs, grabbing his jacket on the way and trying to guess where the kitchen was. When he reached the first floor and walked through the living room he saw the kitchen. He lied Shilo down on the large dining table, placing his jacket over her reaching into the living room to grab a pillow from the couch and placing it under her head. She snuggled close into the jacket, inhaling his scent and smiling. He smiled at her; she was so beautiful, even when she was suffering.

He leaned down and kissed her forehead, leaving a small black smudge from his lipstick. He sighed and rubbed his hands together and began opening cabinets, looking for something that would be useful. He found some pancake mix and the other essential ingredients and turned on the aging stove. He mixed up the batter and started a couple pancakes. He also grabbed a few extra eggs and scrambled them in a separate pan. Just as he was flipping his second set of pancakes he heard a groan behind him. He turned around, spatula in hand to see Shilo sitting up and rubbing her eyes. She looked over at him, "you…you're cooking?"

"Well I promised I'd be there when you woke up, and I don't go back on my promises kid." She grinned at him and it made him smile, no one had ever had this effect on him, and he couldn't deny the fact that he liked it. He finished making their breakfast and separated it onto two plates, "While you start eating want to tell me where I can find some stuff to fix up your arms kid?"

She took a bite of the eggs, "upstairs, in my bathroom." He nodded and turned in that direction jogging up the stairs and into her room, seeing a door that was open, letting him see a small bathroom. He walked in and opened the cabinet above the sink. He grabbed some gauze and ointment and trotted back down the steps. She had nearly finished her plate and looked up at him when he came in.

"Alright, give me your arms, don't worry, I'll be quick." She did so, blushing at the dried blood caking over her forearms. He grabbed a towel and wetted it in the sink, wiping off the dry blood gently. She winced as the texture of the towel scraped her tender skin. True to his word he finished as quickly as he could and wrapped her arms in gauze. "There, all better." He smiled up at her, still holding her arms in his hands. She looked into his eyes, and slowly the two of them leaned forward, and their lips touched, in the softest, most tender kiss that Graverobber had ever had.


	3. Chapter 3

Shilo pulled away first, blushing all the way to her toes. He couldn't help but smile at her innocence through the current situation. She looked down; wringing their hands and neither of them said anything for a good few minutes, Shilo staring straight down, Graverobber attempting to catch her eyes. He reached out and gently touched her hand "You don't have to be afraid of me."

She finally looked up at him and he saw a ghost of a smile cross her pal face. He stood up and sighed, grabbing a bite of pancake. "You could use a shower, and a change of clothes, and I need to do some business, you go take a bath, I promise I'll be back by the time you get out."

She didn't look excited about the idea of him leaving, but she nodded, slowly standing and walking back up the stairs. He sighed, knowing that he would need a way to make sure she wasn't alone and he could still do his business because he now was in a position of supporting more than himself. He knew he'd have to come up with something quick, because she would need someone to keep her company. Or some_thing_ he thought to himself, smirking slightly to himself as he walked out through her mother's mausoleum the way that he had came.

After his usual run-ins with Z-heads, and attempts to pay but alternative means he set out on his current mission. He walked the familiar alleys, keeping his eyes on the ground, after a few hundred yards he found what he was looking for and picked it up, smiling to himself. He stroked it softly and walked back into the graveyard, hoping that she wasn't yet out of her shower.

He returned to the house within five minutes and heard rustling upstairs, he adjusted the item in his arms and walked up the stair, he could tell from the light coming from under her door and the humming of a quiet tune that she was in her room, he knocked on the door quietly "kid?"

He heard her footsteps and she threw open the door smiling, "you're back!" He had never in his life had someone that excited to see him, that genuinely happy to be in his presence, and he couldn't deny that he liked this feeling. Just then he saw her eyes move down to the thing in his arms, and her eyes went wide, "Oh Graverobber what…why?"

He smiled and scratched the calico cat behind the ears, "I knew that I'd have to go out and do business more, or I'll lose my customers, but I also knew it wasn't safe to just leave you alone, so, I figured you needed someone or something to keep you company, so I found this little guy."

"Oh thank you! My father never let me have any pets; he said they'd only make me sicker." He noticed the flash of pain in her eyes when she mentioned her deceased father, but knew that it would take a very long time for that pain to fade. She took the cat into her arms and it meowed, its tail swinging gently, Graverobber couldn't help but smile at her childlike fascination with the animal, living on the streets sharing your living space with various animals was unavoidable so he was used to their presence.

She petted him and the small feline purred, Graverobber chuckled as she jumped back at the sound. "Don't worry, that just means he's happy, nothing to worry about." She blushed at her actions and scratched his back.

"Thank you Grave, really, this house needs some new life in it." She looked around at all the pictures of her deceased mother, and felt tears well in her eyes; her father would be heartbroken if he were to hear her say such things about her mother. Graverobber reached out and placed a hand on her shoulder lightly, he really had never had parents or anyone at all come to think of it. He couldn't imagine the pain she was enduring.

He smiled and caught her eyes, "how about you give the kid and I a tour, since it looks like both of us will be shacking up here for a bit?" She nodded and placed the cat on the ground where it proceeded to rub against their legs and purr.

Shilo giggled, and the sound made Graverobber smile despite himself. "Well, let's start downstairs," she walked towards the landing and down the staircase to the small living room, sheets adorned most of the furniture, making it look like no one had lived there in years. He noticed the dust and cobwebs on nearly every surface and winced, how could anyone really call this a _living_ room? "Well, here's the den, we never used it much, through there's the kitchen but you found that on your own," she blushed at her own statement and walked into the small tiled kitchen. "Through that door is the foyer," Graverobber hadn't really noticed the door on the other end of the kitchen but followed her through it anyway to a large Victorian foyer. He walked over to the large stone fireplace, ignoring the fact that it was a television and not a real fire; he leaned against it and noticed a draft blowing against him. He wrinkled his brow and stepped back, noticing there was a crack between the fireplace and the wall.

"Any idea where this leads to?"

"What do you mean?" She looked at him, raising an eyebrow, it was just a fireplace, how could it _lead_ anywhere?

He dug his fingers into the crack and pulled the fireplace away from the wall on its hinges and pointed down the proceeding tunnel, "where does that lead?"

She shook her head in shock "I-I don't know, I never even knew it was there."

"Well, let's find out." Graverobber grabbed a nearby oil lamp and began down the small set of stairs into the basement like room. When he saw the various surgical instruments and the restraints he winced as he realized what this was, or had been, the repo man's lair. He heard Shilo scream as she too understood and barely managed to catch her as she fainted in terror.


	4. Chapter 4

Graverobber cursed under his breath, not at the sudden weight of a falling Shilo Wallace landing in his arms, for she honestly had very little weight to fall on him, but at his own stupidity. In his rational mind he had known that "daddy dearest" had to have kept his chop shop in the house somewhere, and where better then in a hidden room behind a fireplace.

Shifting so that one arm was under her knees and the other around her back Graverobber turned and walked back up the small set of stairs to the living room. After placing her on a small chaise lounge he turned and closed the fireplace, resolving to clear out that room when he first had a chance. Hearing a quiet mewl behind him and turned and strode back to the lounge where Shilo was opening her eyes again.

"Welcome back to the world Kid," he smirked, pretending he hadn't just been worried about her.

Grumbling she placed the palm of her hand against her forehead, "sorry about that, guess it just, came as a shock to me."

Shrugging he sat on the arm of the chaise, "S'ok Kid, any one would feint upon seeing the evidence of their father being a butcher for GeneCO." From what he knew of their relationship, though that was admittedly little, limited near entirely to what he had seen at the opera, the old man had kept his second life a complete secret from the teen in front of him. He looked up and down her body, not in the way he did most women, but tenderly. He noticed the still new scratches on her arms, and the remnants of blood on the backs of her shoulders. Mag's blood. Her father's blood. He stood and offered her a hand. "Come on Kid, I think more than anything, you could use a shower."

"Oh gee thanks," Smiling softly she took his hand and stood, shakily at first, but stood none the less. Once she got her footing she stepped away from him and walked out of the foyer and up the stairs to the second floor. He stayed put until he heard water start running, and at that point he sighed and walked into the kitchen.

Roughly yanking out a chair and sitting in it he drummed his fingers on the tabletop, wondering how this arrangement could work. He had customers that still needed their fix, but he couldn't just leave the kid, he was a heartless bastard, but only to his customers. Sighing he went through his options. He could stay here with her, but that raised problems, even if Daddy dearest had a secret stash of money it wouldn't be enough to pay rent on this place for long, not to mention food and the like, that wasn't really a viable option. Plus, money aside, he wasn't much of the domestic type. Option two, she could sell the place, and he could buy her some new clothes, have her work with him, teach her to help him get Z. That was the most logical option but, could he really ask her to sell the only place she had known to go sleep with him in dumpsters and dirty motel rooms? Not to mention, sure she had seen some of his life peddling Z but, not near all of it. She hadn't seen what it was like when they couldn't pay and got nasty when he refused other means of payment. She didn't see the territorial fights that the homeless often got into over this dumpster or that alleyway. Not to mention, could he really let her be hunted by him as he was?

Sighing he pulled a dirty hand through his matted hair. He supposed the only thing he could really do was let her choose; let her know all the options. Either way, she'd be ripped from everything she ever knew, but considering that all she truly knew was a web of lies, maybe that wasn't such a bad thing.

Hearing the water stop he stayed where he was, waiting for the sound of her soft footsteps on the stairs. Within ten minutes he was rewarded and she began walking down into the foyer. When she reached it and didn't see him she raised an eyebrow, "Graverobber?"

"In here." As she walked into the kitchen he appraised her bald head, black baggy pants and shirt. She looked pretty, not conventionally of course, there were very few guys who would count a bald head as attractive but, for some reason, it worked for her.

Noticing his eyes she blushed lightly and sat down, "so uh, what are you doing in here?"

He leaned back in the chair and looked down at the wood grain of the table. "Well, I was thinking, about what to do, about our current situation."

"Situation?"

"Yeah, where you, well, we, go from here." H looked up to see if she understood and she nodded for him to continue. "Well, I've come up with a couple options. One, you and I could live here on whatever money I brought in from my dealing and whatever your father had stashed away, and you could get a job. Of course I'm sure the Largo's will b after you with a vengeance, make sure you won't try and take GeneCO, so, it wouldn't be long before they tracked you down here, and who knows what they'd want to do with you."

She visibly gulped, fear burning in her eyes at the prospect of being hunted by the Largo's. He had been dealing with it for years, so, in his mind it was merely a minor setback. "Or, you could sell the place, work with me, I'd show you how to get Z and when you got good enough you could either deal on your own or keep working with me. But I'll tell you Kid it ain't easy. It means a lot of dirty hotel rooms and dumpsters and hanging around graveyards, but, if nothing else I'll keep ya safe."

She nodded, "is there a third option?" her voice held a note of hesitation.

Sighing he nodded, "yeah, there is, I could leave you on your own."


	5. Chapter 5

Author's Note: Hello all, sorry it's taken me so long to update, I've tried to write this chapter many times but it just never worked the way I wanted it to. I dedicate this chapter to my friend Chelsea who wouldn't let this story die, enjoy and review!

Shilo nodded slowly, not accepting or denying any of the scenarios, just taking it all in. She hadn't considered that life would go on, she was still so shocked, so numb. How could her life continue? How could she possibly keep going after all that had happened in such a short time? She stared down at her hand knotting and twisting in front of her. She closed her eyes, trying to collect herself. Breathing deeply she managed to calm herself and looked up at Graverobber. "I'm not afraid of getting a job but, but what if the Largo's find me? Or you because of me? If I went and got a job, it…it wouldn't be safe for you to stay here. I'm not saying I want you to go or anything but, I don't want you to be in danger because of me." She knew he was in danger anyway, it was part of his job description, but she didn't want to be added to the list of reasons he had to be worried.

He sat back in his chair, placing his heavy boot-clad feet on the table. He wasn't going to say anything; he was going to let her work through this herself. She had had decisions made for her all of her life, it was time she was able to decide something on her own. It was kind of funny actually, watching her mind work, how she thought out loud, as if trying to make sure she was doing the right thing.

She worried her bottom lip with her teeth, sighing and looking down at the ground, realizing what her only real option was. "How much do you think this house will go for? Once we clean it out I mean." This house was filled with too many memories, too many things she wanted to escape. If she could sell of the things in this place, aside from a couple things, she could probably make enough money for them to live off of, at least for a little while.

Graverobber looked around the large kitchen as if he was appraising the place, raising an eyebrow he considered, "probably at least a hundred grand, judging by the size of this place, but are you sure this is what you want to do kid?" She nodded and he stood, "Well, alright then, when do you want to start cleaning it out? And what do you want to do once you do sell it."

Shilo blushed, looking down at the tile floor, "well, I was wondering, if I could work for you, I mean, the money from the house would be enough for us to live on for a while, and you could teach me to get Zydrate for you, you'd have double your supply, which would mean more money for you. I wouldn't be in your way, or, you could teach me and I could just leave you alone, whatever you want." She was rambling now, and she knew it, but she didn't want him to say no, she was trying to come up with as many options as possible so that he would say yes.

Graverobber chuckled, "don't worry kid, I'll teach ya. And you can hang with me, just promise me something?"

Shilo raised her eyebrow, "sure, anything."

"If I tell you to do something, run, hide in a dumpster, whatever, you do it, okay?"

"Deal." Shilo smiled, glad than she had a plan, a purpose, something to keep her occupied. "Well, let's start cleaning. We should probably start upstairs." She wanted to avoid the room behind the fireplace for as long as possible, and she wanted nothing more than to get rid of all of the medical equipment in her room.

He nodded and stood walking to the door, holding it open as she walked through. His large heavy boots made the floor creak and groan under him as they walked towards the stairs and it made him chuckle internally. She was so small and lithe, she walked like a ballerina, gliding across the floor, he was large, clunky, jaded, they were so different, and yet so the same.

Shilo's stomach was cramping, in a way she hadn't felt before, she placed a hand on her stomach as she walked up the stairs, confused by the quick onset of these strange pains. When she reached the top of the stairs she turned back to Graverobber, "you can get started in my room, taking stuff down of the walls and stuff, I'm going to go to the bathroom."

She didn't wait to see if he said yes and walked down the hall to the bathroom. She took of her pants and sat on the toilet, rubbing her stomach, trying to make the pain go away. She glanced down at her underwear and saw a streak of blood emblazoned on them and screamed.

Graverobber ran in, throwing open the door, "what's wrong, what's going on?"

He saw the blood on her underwear and sighed, realizing what had happened and what he was now going to have to explain to her.


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: Thank you all for your loyal reading, hope you enjoy this next one, promise it will not take me so long to update ever again

Graverobber turned away, facing the door and sighing. "Alright kid, um, clean up, I'll um….I'll meet you in your room." He could not get out of that room fast enough. How in the world was he going to explain this? What the hell had her father done to her anyway? They broadcasted the opera on the floating tron, and he heard something about her not having a blood disease, and she seemed pretty shocked about that. But if she had a blood disease, what was with the wig? He was no doctor, by any means, but what kind of disease could make you bald? He guessed it really didn't matter now, and walked back into her room. His boots clunked against the wood as he paced around her bed, praying that by some miracle she'd just sort of figure it out on her own.

When he heard the bathroom door open and shut, he figured there was no way he was getting out of this. He turned around to face the door and looked for a place to sit that didn't make him feel like a father giving his daughter "the talk". He settled for her desk chair, running a hand through his matted hair. She sat on her bed, looking terrified and refusing to meet his eyes. After a long uncomfortable silence she cleared her throat and spoke, "am I going to die?"

Her voice sounded so pathetic, and she looked so terrified over such a silly thing, it took a great deal of his willpower not to laugh. "No kid, don't worry you're fine."

"Are you sure?"

"One-hundred percent, this is totally normal."

"Does it happen to you too?"

"Uh…no." Now he was really struggling not to laugh.

"Oh," Shilo looked down to the ground, and seemed to almost curl into herself in embarrassment, and a nagging feeling of what could only be described as guilt nagged him. Here she was actually thinking she was going to die and he was trying not to laugh about it.

"Don't worry kid, it's not just you it's just that this is more of a…a girl thing."

She nodded, seeming to understand, and he continued. "What happened, the blood I mean, it's called a period, it happens to all girls, once they hit a certain age, basically it means now that you can have kids." As he said all of this his eyes never left the floor, the grain of the wood suddenly becoming fascinating.

"So how often will this happen?" She no longer seemed afraid, but curious, which to him was even more frightening.

"Once a month…we'll go to the store today and pick you up some supplies, they have stuff that you can use to um…to soak up the…stuff." He had never felt more uncomfortable in his life.

"Okay…so um…do you mind leaving the room for a second? Just so I can change my underwear, then we can get started cleaning, if that's okay?"

Graverobber practically jumped out of his chair, so grateful to be out of this awkward situation, "yep, just open the door when you're ready." In three long strides he was out in the hall, and had never been so happy to leave a room in his life.

He knew he was going to have to go out again tonight, he could only hope that she'd be so tired from cleaning that she wouldn't notice him leaving. As he was leaning against the wall the kitten he had given Shilo finally fumbled his way up the stairs and Graverobber kneeled picking him up. "Hey little guy, you ready to keep her company tonight?" The kitten looked up at him and tilted his head, seemed to be deeply fascinated with something. When he took a bat at one of Graverobber's braids, he figured out what.

He was about to yell at the little fuzz ball when Shilo opened the door and the kitten started to struggle and meow, trying to get to her. Graverobber finally handed him over, several scratches later. "Jeez, he sure likes you, stupid cat. You know, you still haven't given him a name"

"Oh, I guess I just haven't thought about it. " She petted the cat thoughtfully, worrying her bottom lip with her teeth as she always did when she was thinking. "I think I'll name him Nathan, after my dad."The kitten looked up from her arms, seemingly satisfied with that answer.

She placed him down on her bed and looked around the room, "so, where should we start?"

"Well, let's get all of the little stuff out of her first, you have any boxes or trash bags?" She nodded, walking out of her room to the bathroom, and grabbing a small box from under the sink.

"Trash bags, so, I'll start at my desk, maybe you can go through this medical equipment I don't think I can."

Graverobber nodded, grabbed a trash bag form the box and walked over to the stacks of bottles, wires, and machines and began stuffing everything he could into the bag.

It took nearly three hours, but they finally got her room cleared of everything but the furniture and her essentials. The hologram of her mother still stared down at the room, but he figured that that was there to stay. Getting rid of books and dead bugs was one thing, her mother was another. The sun had set, and Graverobber could hear the GENcops making their rounds. If he was going to get to work, it had to be soon. Shilo had fallen asleep while cleaning, and he moved her to her bed with little Nathan, and walked downstairs.

Grabbing his coat from where he has left it he walked out of the back door, looking up at Shilo's window to make sure that the lights were still off. When he was sure he hadn't woken her he turned, walking down back alleys until he reached the graveyard. Checking again for GENcops, he ran for the nearest fresh tomb and slid off the lid. When the original wave of organ failures hit, people stopped digging graves, even the rich settled for above ground tombs. There were simply so many bodies; there was no way they could all be buried. The bodies of the unidentified, the poor, were simply thrown into warehouses in piles, and those were great when you found them, but the individual tombs had their own appeal.

When he finished extracting enough Z to get him through the night, he walked the alleys, looking for his normal clientele. As he turned a corner he saw a GENcop and hid behind a dumpster. The cop was talking to a prostitute, not exactly a new occurrence, but he didn't seem to be looking for her services. He was showing her something, a paper. Graverobber leaned closer, trying to figure out what was going on.

"Have you seen this girl? She is wanted by GENECo, there is a reward, and any outstanding debts you have with GENECo will be waived, now tell me, have you seen her?"

Graverobber got a glimpse of the picture, and his heart stopped. The picture was of Shilo.


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: hope you guys enjoy, reviews always appreciated

This changed everything; he had to get back to Shilo, now. Graverobber turned and ran back down the alley, ignoring the distraught cries of addicts hoping for his services. He had to get back to the house without being seen, but how? And then he remembered. Turning towards the graveyard he broke into a sprint, knowing that if GENECo had started canvassing the streets, it would not be long before they went to her house, if they didn't already. The only thought that kept running through his mind was that if they were searching the streets for her, it meant that they hadn't found her yet. When he finally reached the graveyard he ducked behind the largest tombstone, checking for GENcops before running towards the Wallace mausoleum. He had barely gotten to the door before it burst open and Shilo ran out, clutching the little kitten to her chest. She hadn't expected another person on the other side of the door, so drug dealer, teenager, and kitten tumbled down the steps in a tangle of limbs. Nathan ended up sprawled across Graverobber's face and Shilo across his chest. Nathan quickly jumped up and shook himself, as if trying to get something out of his fur, and it wasn't until he moved into the light that Graverobber saw why. There was a large smudge of black lipstick on the poor kitten's side. If he wasn't trying to save Shilo's life, he probably would have laughed.

Shilo realized who was under her and breathed a sigh of relief, rolling off of him. She had been terrified that it was a GENcop. "Grave, we have to go, now. The GENcops, they were at the house, I managed to get out with Nathan, but it won't be long before they follow me."

"I know, they were out asking about you on the streets, that's why I came to get you." He rolled to his feet, pulling Shilo along with him. Nathan was still trying to shake the lipstick out of his fur and Graverobber picked him up with one hand and dropped him into one of the pockets of his jacket. He grabbed Shilo's hand and pulled her out of the cemetery, knowing that they had to get off of the streets. "Some on, there's a guy I know who runs a motel, he owes me a favor." Once they reached an alleyway with a dumpster Graverobber stopped, throwing back the lid. "Alright, we need to change your appearance, he owes me a favor, but that doesn't mean he'll lie for me. Here, hand me your wig, I can hide it." The picture he had seen had been from the opera so she had been wearing her wig, the guy they were going to was a Z fiend; he wasn't likely to recognize her without hair. He knew that she was insecure about her baldness, but she would have to deal with it for now. She handed it to him and he shoved it into a pocket beside Nathan. His thoughts were racing on how to further disguise Shilo, and quickly. She was too clean, a dead giveaway that she wasn't a normal street rat. Graverobber reached down and rubbed his hand along the dumpster, gathering up some of the dirt. "Alright, I know this is weird, but we need to make you look like you belong on the streets, just trust me." He rubbed the dirt over her head, arms, and a little on her face.

Shilo saw that Graverobber was worried, something that she had never seen before. For this seasoned drug dealer to be scared, this must be serious. She looked down at herself and realized that he was right. She remembered looking at the girls on the streets the night she had met Graverobber, how they looked like they were barely surviving. As Graverobber looked in the dumpster for help, Shilo began ripping her clothes. She had woken up shortly after Graverobber had left and gotten dressed. She jabbed a nail into her fishnet stockings and ripped a large hole in them above the knee, and then did the same on the other calf. She shimmied her skirt farther up, making it shorter, and ripped a few inches off of her black shirt, leaving the fishnet shirt alone. It wasn't much, but it definitely helped.

When Graverobber turned around and saw what she had done, he nodded and handed her some oversized brown boots. "Here, put these on, I know they will be huge but they'll do the job. You can hide your shoes behind the dumpster." She did as he said and he looked her up and down. "Alright, you're ready. Now, don't say anything, not a word, I'll do the talking. He'll probably think I'm just bringing you to fuck you so don't be surprised if he says something disgusting. Okay?" Shilo nodded, "alright, let's go."

They walked down the alley at a normal pace; if they ran they would be more likely to be noticed. Graverobber threw an arm over her shoulder, hoping to give the appearance of being a couple. The motel wasn't far, only a few blocks away. He went there a few times, when he had the money. It wasn't exactly clean, but it was a bed, better than sleeping in a dumpster. The owner was one of his clients, and still owed him money from a rather large Zydrate purchase a few weeks back.

He saw the motel at the end of the street and thought about what exactly he would say. They would only get one bed, and couldn't stay for more than one night. Some more Z would probably help grease the wheels, but he would only part with what he absolutely had to. When he finally reached the door he pushed the buzzer, being sure that his face was in view of the camera. He heard the beep meaning that the door had unlocked, and hoped that the GENcops hadn't already been here. Graverobber pushed his way through the door, pulling Shilo along with him. He knew she was scared, and so was he, but this was probably only going to get worse form here.

They walked into a room that could only be described as dingy. The once-white tile was covered in cracks, and the wallpaper was peeling off the walls. They walked across the tile to a wooden counter, behind which sat a man nearly as dingy as the room behind him. He was scraggly, his face covered with dark hair that went all the way to his waist. His eyes were a watery brown and looked at Graverobber with the blank stare of a drug addict. "Hey Graverobber, what can I do ya?"

"Just need a room for the night Joe, as I recall you owe me for your last buy."

"Yeah, yeah dude, whatever you need." He reached behind him and grabbed a key off of the wall. "Here, room six, after this, we straight?"

"Yeah, yeah sure," Graverobber grabbed the key, pulling Shilo out of the office before his pocket started meowing. Then again, Joe was so strung out on Z he probably wouldn't notice. They walked down to room six and Graverobber unlocked the door, ushering Shilo in. Closing and locking the door behind him he turned on the light to survey their surroundings. There was one bed, slightly bigger than a twin, one lamp sitting on the floor, and a small TV with no remote. Towards the back of the room there was a sink and a door that Graverobber hoped led to a toilet. It was dirty, but it would have to do.

Graverobber pulled Nathan out of his pocket and placed him on the bed. The kitten looked at him indignantly before jumping down and running over to weave between Shilo's legs. She looked from the kitten to Graverobber, "What do we do now?"


	8. Author's Note

Author's Note

Hey Everyone, I just wanted to let all of you guys know that I WILL be updating this story soon, so don't worry that I'm dropping it. I do need help brainstorming of where the story should go so if you have any questions please PM me, I am also in need of a BETA reader. Sorry for the delay with chapters guys, I can promise one will be up in the next two weeks.


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